A part of Patel Chambers in Mumbai’s Fort area collapsed on Saturday morning as a massive fire engulfed the building, reported ANI. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries. Officials are trying to ascertain if anyone is trapped inside the building.
Smoke started billowing out of the building, called the Kothari building or the Light of Asia, around 4 am, PTI reported. Subsequently, the southern part of the five-story structure collapsed.
Officials categorised the blaze as a Level-3 fire, and is likely to be upgraded to Level-4, according to NDTV. They said the building was unoccupied for five years, and that no one was trapped inside.
Mumbai Chief Fire Officer Prabhat Rahangdale said 16 fire engines, 11 tankers and 150 fire officers were deployed to fight the blaze, and the situation was now under control. He said the department was investigating the cause of the incident, since the building was empty when the fire began.
This is the second major fire incident in Mumbai in the last 10 days. On June 1, a massive fire had broken out at Mumbai’s Scindia House in Ballard Estate. The fire was put out after about 12 hours.
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